1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various methods have been proposed as image recording methods for recording color images. However, regardless of the method, there remains strong demand for a recorded product having high quality in terms of image quality, texture, reduced curling after recording, and the like.
For example, inkjet techniques have been applied to the fields of office printers, home printers, and the like, and have recently begun to be applied to commercial printing. In the field of commercial printing, printed sheets are required to have a printing texture similar to that of general printing paper, rather than a surface such as that of paper used exclusively for inkjet recording, which has a solvent absorbing layer coated on a resin-coated paper and which completely blocks penetration of an ink solvent into the base paper. However, the range of properties such as surface gloss, texture, and stiffness of the recording medium is limited when a recording medium has a solvent absorption layer with a thickness of as much as 20 μm to 30 μm. Therefore, application of inkjet techniques to the commercial printing field has been limited, for example, to posters, vouchers, and the like with respect to which the restrictions on surface gloss, texture, stiffness, and the like on a recording medium are tolerable.
Furthermore, paper exclusively used for inkjet recording has high production costs since a solvent-absorbing layer and a water-resistant layer are included therein, which is one of the factors that limits application of inkjet techniques to the commercial printing field.
Further, a pigment is widely used as a colorant, which is one of components of an ink material. When a pigment is used, the pigment is dispersed in a medium such as water. When the pigment is dispersed and used, a dispersion diameter, post-dispersing stability, size uniformity, or the like when particles are dispersed, and jettability from jetting heads and the like are important. Techniques that improve such properties have been widely studied.
Moreover, there are cases in which pigment-containing inks do not have satisfactory properties in terms of fixability (for example, abrasion resistance), water resistance, stain resistance, or the like since such inks generally remain on the surface of a recording medium rather than penetrating into the recording medium.
In relation to the above, an inkjet recording method in which an ink composition including a polymerizable compound and a reaction liquid including a photopolymerization initiator and a reactant that produces an aggregate when contacting with the ink composition are used, has been disclosed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 10-287035).
Furthermore, a water-based photocurable ink including a polymerizable compound at a content of 30% by mass to 70% by mass, a photopolymerization initiator, a colorant, and water has been disclosed (see, for example, JP-A No. 2004-189930).